1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for controlling an automobile air conditioner and, more particularly, to a controlling apparatus improved to facilitate the setting of operating condition or mode of the automobile air conditioner.
2. Description of the Prior Arts
In general, there are two ways of control of operating condition or operating mode of automobile air conditioner such as, for example, flow rate of the conditioned air: namely, a fixed or manual control mode in which the condition is set as desired by the user at one of three or four fixed levels such as Low, Medium, High and so forth and an automatic control mode in which one of these levels is selected automatically by means of an electric controller or the like device. Once one of these fixed levels is selected, this level is maintained fixedly until the other level is appointed manually or the automatic control mode is selected. More specifically, in the conventional controlling apparatus for automobile air conditioner in which the selection of the level is made by means of a lever through a controlling link mechanism, the lever has a mechanism to keep its position to maintain the selected condition or level of operation. This conventional arrangement imposes the following problem. Assume here that the driver wishes to restart the air conditioner after long parking of the automobile or after a suspension of operation of the air conditioner.
The driver will find that the condition or level of operation of the air conditioner, which was selected before parking or before stopping the air conditioner, is not suitable for the present demand for conditioned air. Then, the driver will be obliged to make a readjustment to select new condition or level of operation of the air conditioner.
In the case of the control of flow rate of air, since the lever for adjusting the air flow rate serves also as a manipulation switch for starting the air conditioner, the driver has to manipulate this lever after turning the main switch of the automobile on.